Why Sir Laurence and Neil Diamond make me cry every Yom Kippur
I’m not a high holidays Jew--- the kind who pretty much ignores their faith until Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur and then scrambles to buy overpriced seats at the local synagogue. I confess that I’ve done plays on Rosh HaShanah, I’ve played field hockey on Yom Kippur;...
IZ sang the call to action and Steve Jobs responded
While Glee has popularized the expression Mash-UP, (a song created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs), my favorite mashup of all time is Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwoʻole’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World. I was driving over Mulholland today after...
The grass isn’t always greener- life lessons from The Wizard of Oz
I find it funny; albeit, not surprising that in our world of instant access/instant gratification people are so desperate to find the next thing. It’s never enough to be satisfied and content with what you have; rather, it has become about having one’s eye half...
Why every writer should take an acting class
I think every artist should take an acting class…especially writers. Because it’s so easy to become isolated in your office with just your own stories to keep you company (that and the ever present-never ringing phone you stare at when you come up for air, wondering...
Lacrosse– the fastest growing sport in America
Sometimes, when I look back on my life, I see it in two categories: Lacrosse and everything that came after lacrosse. For the first half of my life, I pretty much ate, spoke, and breathed lacrosse. It was my everything, my passion, my all consuming hobby. I was in...
Alice Ripley’s genius in Next to Normal
There have been a few Broadway experiences, which I will keep with me my entire life. They are etched into my mind and heart and include: my introduction to Broadway when I was a child, with A Chorus Line and Annie… my slight obsession with Les Miz which I have seen...
Sister Cities #11
Tonight I saw the eleventh production of Sister Cities... and I was not disappointed. It’s still amazing to me that six years ago, I created these characters in my mind and they continue to not only live on, but thrive. As a playwright, it also fascinates me that I...
The end of my love affair…with garlic
Driving up to Palo Alto to see my play Sister Cities, I passed through Gilroy- the garlic capital of California. Now, I love garlic... garlic bread, garlic pizza, garlic french fries...okay, pretty much any combination of garlic and carbohydrates. However, when one is...
A monologue – Men just yell
Phillip yells. Not often, but when he yells...it’s as if Mount Vesuvius has erupted. He’ll suppress the anger inside of him for weeks...or even months. And then...Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick... Boom. Once, my sister Joan and my across the street neighbor Tully came over to...
L’shanah tovah – the hauntingly beautiful power of the shofar
The essential mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah is to hear the sounding of the shofar. According to the famous Jewish philosopher Maimonides, the sound of the shofar is meant to wake up the soul and turn its attention to the important task of repentance. As a little girl, I...